She's been ours for a whole week. Actually, we've cared for her for two years now. But a couple of months ago, I happened to toss a toy mouse on the porch to see if she was interested, not expecting even a raised eyebrow. Instead the skinny black cat played with that mouse. I'd never seen that side of her.
Watching her play, realizing she remembered toys and therefore had a life indoors, and wondering when the last time she actually played... all that broke my heart. I said "David..." and he said "I know, we've got to bring her in."
Last Thursday Wheels had an appointment with the vet, and was tested for everything under the sun, and is completely healthy. Quite a feat for an outdoor kitty. (This month we've had to get a routine thyroid check for Rigby, put down David's mother's cat, and now Wheels. I think our vet is going to have a very nice summer vacation with the recent influx of cash.)
We are using a slow and steady method with the introduction. Wheels has a base camp in my office and the other cats are slowly introduced. So far it is going very very well.
I am slightly jealous of dog owners. If you get a new dog, the introduction is a day long process and then they work out the hierarchy of things. There is no hierarchy in cat society. As solitary animals they are sensitive to their territory. Not to say they don't develop friendships and in no way does this make them "mean" or "withholding of their affection." This is just their instinctive animal nature, much like a dog's instinct to chase cars, or dig up your garden.
Cats are highly adaptive animals, and unlike a dog's desire to please their human, cats adapt on their own terms.
Rigby advanced through all the steps in a day. His first nose to nose, he sniffed and rolled over to show his belly. I think he would like to cuddle with Wheels but she isn't quite ready. So I've been giving him extra snuggles to substitute. Recently, the three of us spend 30 min(ish) daily in a room together.
Abbey is moving slower, but I'm very proud of her. When I got married, Abbey had been with me only 6 months. She was still very untrusting of people other than me. With all the guests in the house, she stayed under the couch the whole weekend and didn't even come out to say goodbye. Seeing where she has come from really makes me amazed at how well she is doing. Essentially she is acting normal other than curiosity around Wheel's base camp.
Wheels is a little champion. I make sure she gets lots of uninterrupted, loooooong naps and as much food as her skinny little belly can hold. We use play therapy to build trust, and I wait for her to fall asleep till I leave. We also try some room swapping, letting our kitties inspect her room while Wheels gets to inspect the rest of the house.
She wouldn't let us pet her face last Thursday, by Saturday she was getting chin scratches!
We aren't quite ready for free access yet. Which is to be expected. I was so so so worried about adding a third. But my kitties still sleep with me and still snuggle and that's all I ever wanted.
Wheels to be safe and my kitties to love me. All three of them.
